Archive for November, 2009

Sadly, there are amongts us who claim to be Hanbali (Athari) in ‘Aqidah, but in reality they lie against the Hanabilah. This is an attempt to clarify a statement from a pseduo-Hanbali Salafi regarding his statement, “Clearly, the Hanaabilah are not Mujassimah as they do not affirm (or negate) ‘Jism’ for Allah” from the islamicawakening forum. Though i’ve cut down on roaming the web, i thought i’d look up some of the sayings of Hanabilah regarding this issue. I ask Allah ta’ala for reward by this attempt by showing the truth regarding our noble scholars.

1 a- Imam al-Bayhaqi narrates in Manaqib Imam Ahmed (Merits of Imam Ahmed) with his chain on the authority of Abil Fadl, that he said, “Ahmed censured the one who attributed Jism (to Allah ta’ala). And said, “Names are taken from the Shariah and lugha, and the scholars of Lugha have coined this word for the one who has length, width…”

1 b- Imam Dhahabi in Siyar, vol 4 page 356 quotes Hafidh Abul Qasim AbdurRahman bin Abi ‘Abdillah Muhammed bin Ishaq bin Muhammed bin Yahya bin Mandah al-Asfahani (b. 381 Hijri) as saying, “I hold fast to the Book and the Sunnah, and I’m innocent of ascribing any likeness, positing similarity, equalness, limbs, body, or tool to Allah ta’ala, and from every ascription towards me or claim that I say any of the above things, or have said them or hold them to be true or consider them or describe Him with it.”

2- Ibn Hamdan in his Nihayatul Mubtadi’in narrates on the authority of Imam Ahmed ‘takfir on the one who holds Allah ta’ala to be Jism, but not like other Jism’.

3- Ar-Rahibani in his Daqaiq Ulun Nuha says, “the shahadah isn’t accepted from one who believes in the creation of the Quran, or negates the beautific vision, or Rafd, or someone who has the belief of Jahm bin Safwan and others like it (such as one who believes in tajsim and what the Khawarij, Qadariya and others like them believe).

4- ‘Allama Buhuti says the same in his Kashshaf al-Qina’.

5- Ibn Abi Ya’ala says in Tabaqat al-Hanabilah, “al-Walid as-Sa’id said, “whoever believes that Allah ta’ala is a jism and gives him the true nature of Jism such as composition and movement, then he is a kafir, because he doesn’t know Allah ta’ala, because it is impossible for him to be described with these Sifat, and if he doesn’t know Allah ta’ala, it follows that he is a kafir.”

6- In al-‘Itiqad, Ibn Abi Ya’ala said, “if someone believes in these sifat and others like it, which have come down in authentic narrations, as resemblance to Jism, composition, length then he’s a Kafir.”

7- Ibn Taymiyya says in Majmu’ al-Fatawa, “Majority of Ahlus Sunnah from our companions and others do takfir of Mushabiha and Mujasimah.”